xfer my 35mm short to HD in NYC, where?

Matt Stevens · December 1, 2010

Just so you know, I did some searches here before posting this. In 2001 I shot my short film on Super16. I have a 35mm blowup and nothing in between the A/B/C rolls and it. No 16mm print at all. I'm not very technical, but it was cheaper that way at the time.

So, I have always wanted a decent looking version of my film for video. My only VHS and SVHS copies were from AVID and look like complete crap.

I'm in Jersey City and figured NYC would have numerous options, but everywhere I find is for 8mm and 16mm. I've been told by some to have a new 16mm print made, but don't think I can handle the costs associated with that.

I could send it out of state to some places I've found, but I really do want to sit in and make some different choices and corrections. A few shots need to be zoomed in some. One shot that is in color needs to be B&W. Nothing too crazy as I know the longer I am in there, the more expensive it will be.

Anyways, can I have some advice here? It would be greatly appreciated.

If I had to send it out, is anyone familiar with scanyourfilm.com?

Adrian Sierkowski · December 1, 2010

Any pro post house will treat you just fine. off of the top of my head in NYC there is Deluxe and Technicolor both of which are set up for 35mm scanning but this isn't going to be cheap as you want a supervised 35mm transferr to HD. Best bet would be to look for a place which will go to hard drive in a format you can work with later on, such as pro res or DnX (I think for AVID). Even down here in Philadelphia we have Shooters/The Dive, whom I highly recommend who can do this type of work. There is also NFL Films in Cherry Hill NJ, Cinelab in MD who do supurb work, and I'm certain a host of other boutique shops in NYC that handle this.

On top of all of that you could just send the film to wherever and have it "flat scanned," meaning capture all the detail possible, and spit out as a .dpx file, if you can handle that later on on your own (Avid on the PC can AFAIK, Color on Macs can) and then do your own corrections and down conversions. Some places will even work with you over skype or something similar to "sit in," on a color correction happening very far away.

I might say you'd be better off scanning up the original negative, as it'll be the source with the least amount of generational degradation; but that's your call. Also, as you want HD, S16mm is more than enough to provide very nice 1080p video. The problem here, of course, is that w/o an EDL you may wind up scanning all of the original S16mm neg, but you can speak to the post houses about that and they will take good care of you.

Chris Burke · December 1, 2010

scanyourfilm looks good, but they are on the west coast. Not really a big deal, but I know it can be a bit scary shipping your film. Try cinelab, they do great work and have a NYC drop. Adrien gave great advice. Scanning straight to drive as prores 4444 gives great looking results. www.Finishedit.com/indie has great prices on an Arriscanner, they are in Boston, but so what. There are many places out there, outside NYC, that do top notch work. Cinelicious does fantastic work. Spectra film and video just got a Spirit. Who have you spoken with?

Matt Stevens · December 1, 2010

Interesting. I am so out of the loop on this and I apologize for that, guys (and gals, if there are any).

My film was blown up to 35mm using the ABC rolls. Because of some complications I needed the extra C roll (and I know I am explaining this poorly) so I suppose I could transfer from them. I would never ever ship them, as they ARE my film, so it would have to be local.

The problem with that is how to then put it all together? Everything I have is in boxes here, but I don't have the technical knowledge to go in and find what I need for the people who would be doing the job. I assume that would be the EDL?

It would actually be better not to use my 35mm blowup as that would mean more grain (though I do like a grainy look) and there is a slight, visible imperfection in the blowup that would not be fixable.

of course, this doesn't even mention sound. I have lots of tape, but none are labeled (have no idea why) so I've no clue which is my master sound track. :o

I'm not at my home computer right now so I don't have the list of who I contacted so far. They were all found with a Google search. None are what you guys have mentioned in your replies.

I'm terrified to know what this will cost. It's been a tight year, but I really do need to get this done for a variety of reasons.

Next year (early Spring) the plan is to purchase a new MAC and go with the latest Final Cut Pro so that is what I would be using to do my tweaks.

Edited December 1, 2010 by Matt Stevens

John Rizzo · December 3, 2010

Hi Matt

At my company Metropolis Post we can transfer the A,B C roll to HD edit them together and you can do a supervised color grading session.This would be done on a pin registered scanner.and will give you the best quality.If you like we can also do it off your 35mm print.(it would be less expensive.) Do you remember were you did the Direct Blow Up Print, it could of very well been my old company Metropolis Film Lab, from the mid 1990's through 2008 my main business was doing direct optical blow ups right from 16 or super 16mm a/b rolls.As far as a blow up was concerned this work flow yielded the highest blow up possible. You can call us at 212 563 9388.

Will Montgomery · December 3, 2010

From your posts it seems you're probably best off working with a telecine house within driving distance. One that is small enough and hungry enough to work with you but has decent equipment and more than anything a colorist you can trust.

You will be AMAZED at what your film can look like with modern equipment and talented colorists but you are correct in realizing it isn't cheap. Visit every telecine house in your area and explain your situation and see who seems sympathetic. There may be some places that are slow and would even enjoy working on a feature if they are usually knee deep in commercials. Take some colorists out to lunch or dinner. At least you'll learn some things about your craft and maybe someone will take on your project for your budget (but not free!)

Maybe it's something you need to save for another year for...

Matt Stevens · December 4, 2010

Hi Matt

At my company Metropolis Post we can transfer the A,B C roll to HD edit them together and you can do a supervised color grading session.This would be done on a pin registered scanner.and will give you the best quality.If you like we can also do it off your 35mm print.(it would be less expensive.) Do you remember were you did the Direct Blow Up Print, it could of very well been my old company Metropolis Film Lab, from the mid 1990's through 2008 my main business was doing direct optical blow ups right from 16 or super 16mm a/b rolls.As far as a blow up was concerned this work flow yielded the highest blow up possible. You can call us at 212 563 9388.

John, I went through my paperwork but could not find the receipts for the blowup. Lord knows where they went. Your name seems familiar to me, but of course that could be for a variety of reasons. I will call you on Monday for sure.